If the indie kids of band Operator Please have learnt anything from their sudden catapult to success, it’s that you really can get what you want.
In the past 18 months alone they’ve been signed to a major record label, traveled the world, performed their catchy tunes to massive crowds and have even taken out an ARIA award – all by the age of 20.
BURST caught up with drummer Tim Commandeur aged 17, to learn about Operator Please’s road to success.
A Brief History…
The story of Operator Please unfolds like a fable. Five Gold Coast musical misfits came together way back in 2005 to compete for first prize (and a box of doughnuts) in their high school’s Battle of the Bands competition.
After wooing fans and winning the doughnuts, the band decided to ‘get serious’ and recorded a DIY demo CD in Tim’s dad’s home recording studio. Burnt off Tim’s home computer, the demo – with cover art created by lead vocalist/guitarist Amandah Wilkinson’s sister – was sent around to industry peeps and the songs were uploaded onto the band’s MySpace.
“When we first started, before we had our record deal, we did a lot of stuff DIY style – we made our own CDs and merchandise. We put a lot of work into everything and [eventually] got managers and agents,” Tim recounts matter-of-factly. “We built [our success] from the ground up and it took a very long time.”
Being the street-wise teenagers that they are, Tim says the band did not initially jump at the chance of a record deal when approached by the bigwigs at major record label EMI.
“They came to us with a deal and we sort of negotiated it…We researched record deals on what we wanted and we sort of just worked out a deal that we were comfortable with and they were comfortable with,” he explains.
When asked if the band had any mentor-figure helping them through the ins and outs of recording a demo or scoring a record deal, Tim nonchalantly replies, “nah, not really. We just did what we did, and people liked it I guess. We don’t really want to change for other people.”
Not All Fun And Games…
Tim describes the jaunt from high-school band to ARIA-award winners as “a lot of hard work. A. Lot. Of. Hard. Work.”
When the band recorded their debut album, Yes, Yes, Vindictive! with the help of Artic Monkeys’ and Kaiser Chiefs’ Producer Simon Barnicott, Tim says the days felt like weeks. “We had like three, maybe four, weeks to record the album. Everyday we were in the studio from ten in the morning until one the next morning. It was a long, long process.”
Yet once the album was done and dusted, the hard work didn’t stop there. On the touring front, Tim says he was surprised by “so many late nights and early mornings.” He explains, “The amount of travel you do is ridiculous. You just don’t really expect it will be that much work before you’re actually in a band.”
In fact, Tim admits some of the low points of the past year have been “being away from home for so long and getting tired and worn out”.
So it’s not all fun and partying I ask Tim inquisitively?
“Yeah, no!” he laughs.
After a thought he adds, “I don’t know, it‘s what you make it. We can have fun just driving in the van…just being stupid.”
Given that the band has previously toured throughout Australia, the UK, Europe and to New York City, I ask Tim whether the band members ever get on each other’s nerves.
“Yeah of course,” he chirps. “Don’t you have brothers and sisters?”
“[We’re] living out of each other’s pockets so that’s bound to cause some friction, but you get over it. You can’t stay angry at each other because we’re with each other so much that it’s just going to cause more problems. You’re forced to get over it.”
Living the Dream…
Tim says some of his career highlights thus far have included, “playing shows almost every day, the ARIAs, the Big Day Out tour, and going to Europe and seeing new countries like France and Holland and Germany – it’s a lot of fun.”
On top of this, Tim says there have been some pretty wack moments as well. “If you go on YouTube, there’s this kid in Grade 2 who [lip-synchs] and dances to our songs at talent quests. Seeing that stuff is pretty funny; it’s pretty cool.”
As the band has recently been on the Big Day Out circuit, performing alongside some of the world’s greatest artists, Tim says they’ve also had the opportunity to meet plenty of new bands.
And the after parties? I ask, eager for some backstage gossip…
“I wasn’t allowed into the after party because I’m 17,” says Tim with an ever-so-small hint of disdain. “It happened at the ARIAs too, but Amandah and Ashley did [get in].”
Knowing I’d hit a sore spot, I ask Tim how he feels about all the hype over the band’s (under) age.
“Age means nothing,” he says self-righteously. “You’re personality defines who you are. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still write amazing music.”
“The age thing isn’t important,” he adds. “It just means you can’t get into clubs, it doesn’t mean you can’t make good music.”
- Or go to the after parties, I butt in.
“Yeah, but you just make your own party,” he says with a wry smile.
For other young musicians dreaming of making it big, Tim gives this advice:
“Don’t take people’s put downs to heart because it’s only going to make you pull back. Just keep doing what you’re doing and put your stuff out there and annoy people to get things. Try get yourself out there as much as possible through any source – MySpace or FasterLouder. Anything”.